Millot double helps keep Stuttgart in Bundesliga. In the second leg of the relegation playoff on Monday, Stuttgart secured their place in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory against Hamburg (6-1 overall), guaranteeing the fallen giants another season in the second level. A 1-0 halftime deficit was erased by two goals in the second half from French midfielder Enzo Millot and a late goal from DR Congo’s Silas, guaranteeing Stuttgart’s continued play in the top league the next year.
Due to the defeat, Hamburg, who previously celebrated having the longest streak in the top flight by keeping a timer that counted every second the former Champions League champions had avoided being demoted, will now compete in Bundesliga 2. Sebastian Hoeness, the manager of Stuttgart, praised his players for their “ability to handle pressure” after their club’s one league loss in 10 games since his appointment in early April.
Millot’s double helps keep Stuttgart in Bundesliga
Congratulations to the club, Hoeness said, adding that it “certainly didn’t look that way eight or nine weeks ago.” Hoeness will play in the first division next season. Tim Walter, his Hamburg counterpart, bemoaned how near but how far his team was after six months as Stuttgart’s coach in 2019 before being fired.
“We had a fantastic season with 20 victories, but we were short by just one point.
We’re doing something incredible here, and while I’m really proud of my team, the first-division team was somewhat superior. Hamburg, defeated 3-0 in the first leg on Thursday, gave their suffering supporters hope immediately. Sonny Kittel’s breathtaking long-range goal handed the home team the lead seven minutes in, thrilling the enthusiastic 57,000-strong home crowd. When a spectacular Serhou Guirassy backheeled goal was disallowed for offside after 16 minutes, Hamburg built and pushed in the hopes of adding a second and breathed a sigh of relief. After the break, Stuttgart scored immediately thanks to a close-range shot from an unmarked Millot.
Midway through the second half, Daniel Heuer Fernandes made a big mistake in goalkeeping, allowing Millot to tap in after the Frenchman misjudged a punt on the edge of his box. Hamburg attempted to win the match, but Stuttgart scored once more in stoppage time, and forward Silas added a third to guarantee his team’s spot in the top level for the following season. Hamburg, which won six league championships and a European Cup 40 years ago, will continue to play second-tier football this year.
The third-place team in the second division plays the 16th-place team in the top division in German football’s playoff format. Hamburg has placed third twice and fourth three times since being demoted, losing the relegation playoff last season to Hertha Berlin. Only three times out of 15 since the playoff system was reinstated in the 2008–09 season has the second division team won the playoff.
